Pakistan PhD student falls in love with Xi'an

"I will have many stories with Xi'an," said an international student from Pakistan with a Chinese name Zhao Weize.

Currently, Zhao is a PhD student at Shaanxi University of Science & Technology – located in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Zhao came to Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province for further study in 2016.

In the more than five years since he came to China, Zhao has been to many cities, experienced Chinese culture extensively and also felt the hospitality of the Chinese people.

Once, on a trip to the Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hubei, Zhao bought a local specialty snack – fried potatoes – but when the boss found out that he was a Pakistani student, he insisted on not charging him.

In 2020, the sudden COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everyone's rhythm of life. At that time, Zhao was in Wuhan. "At our most difficult time, the school bought us all kinds of daily necessities and anti-epidemic materials," he said. "In the end, under the leadership of the Chinese government and through everyone's efforts, we overcame the pandemic."

At the end of 2021, affected by a new round of the pandemic, Xi'an implemented closed-loop management. At that time, Zhao had just started his studies at Shaanxi University of Science and Technology.

"We international students feel that China is the safest country in the world. The Chinese government cares about the safety of people very much and we are very relieved to study and live in China," Zhao said.

"I hope to stay in Xi'an to work and live there after graduating," he added. "I also hope that the pandemic will soon be over, giving me the opportunity to bring my family here."